05/12/2023
mdgovbd Your Board at Work – 2023 Legislation
The Maryland State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners (the "Board") is pleased to inform massage professionals of an important piece of legislation that was signed by Governor Wes Moore on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Massage Therapy-Definition and Reimbursement, SB216 and its cross-file HB242, will be effective July 1, 2023.
For many years, the Board worked tirelessly to ensure the recognition of massage therapy as treatment when deemed medically necessary. In 2023, the Board introduced legislation to achieve that goal. Thanks to a collective effort of the Board, legislators, legislative staff, and other key stakeholders, the new law recognizes massage therapy as treatment. Additionally, the law provides a potential pathway for Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) to seek reimbursement for medically necessary and approved massage therapy treatment by repealing §6-403.
The Massage Therapy –Definition and Reimbursement legislation extends the deadline by which the Board is to cease issuing initial registrations to graduates of a massage education program of less than 750 contact hours. This extension was requested by the Board upon learning of the possible negative impact on students currently enrolled in a massage therapy education program. Because the Board did not want to disenfranchise any students, the Board immediately pursued the extension in the latter stages of the legislative approval process. SB216/H242 now extends the deadline for issuing RMP registrations to September 30, 2024.
RMP to LMT Conversion –The Board is in the final stages of preparing regulatory language for submission to the Secretary of Health. This regulatory proposal was discussed and approved by the Board at its April 2023 meeting. Regulations are subject to a 30-day comment period after they are published in the Maryland Register and before they are adopted. Once those regulations are officially submitted to the Secretary, the timeline for the regulatory approval process is not within the Board's control.
Once the regulations governing the conversion requirements are adopted, the Board will notify all RMPs using eblast and posting of information on the website.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact the Board at 410-764-4738 or email mdh.bcmte@maryland.gov.
Regards,
Sharon Oliver, MBA, Executive Director
Senate Bill 216.pdf
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05-09-2023 Your Board at Work - New Law.pdf
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